How the world fares
by Shade-Duelist
Summary: An angel is about to learn the way life works. And, of course, make a couple of new friends. Ch.4: our brawlers enjoy the good life. For Pit and Peach, that means each other. But late at night, in the sky, the elements surge as a world is destroyed...
1. Welcome to the Brawl

How the world fares

Super Smash Bros. Brawl fanfiction by Shade-Duelist

**disclaimer: I own no one in this story save the OC's Stella and Player Shii. I do not own SSBB or any of the games that feature in it. I do own this story, so be wary of my wrath when using it in the wrong way. And I determine what is wrong.**

(brief Author's Note before starting: I intend this to be a challenge to JonAxDrayda, who is dear and beloved to me. I know he writes (or wrote) fanfiction about his favourite characters and therefore I issue this dare to him:

write a SSBB fanfic with the following elements:

- a Yoshi relationship, you decide who and what kind;

- one of the new chars getting together with one of the 'old' chars (from the original SSB or Melee);

- a player controlling your least favourite character defeating your favourite character in a way that is relevant to the story;

- and finally, at least one Final Smash, one Hammer use, one 66-stock battle and one reference to Solid Snake. (why? Because I am interested in reading about good ol' Snake)

Manage this in one story and you'll get something good, I guarantee you.)

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Brawl

Wings rustled: a group of pigeons flew by. The wind blew harshly over the Mansion where the brawlers resided during the tournaments. It was a gathering place for people from all over the Video Game Universe, and also a place to hone one's skills against opponents from other places, with other abilities and other backgrounds. This was the third season of the tournaments, the Brawl season, and visitors came from far to either watch or participate.

One of those coming to participate now stood on her balcony, contemplating the relative calm before the storm. She smiled as she saw her friends run around below her. Yoshi bounced about on the grass, merrily eluding the two men chasing him and shouting in his simple language from time to time to egg his pursuers on. One of the pursuers stopped, his hands on his knees, and looked up while checking his overalls. As he saw her stand there, he blushed and quickly returned to the game – unlike his slightly shorter brother, who waved up at her with a broad smile. Peach giggled and waved back at Mario, turning her gaze elsewhere. A small ways from the group, a small yellow critter bounded from tree to tree, followed swiftly by two round pink figures. Kirby made valiant attempts to follow the two Pokémon, but failed each time. Peach knew they were just playing and sighed contentedly. Off to the side, underneath the shade of some trees, Peach saw the familiar figures of Zelda and Link sit together with Samus, who had left her Power Suit in her room apparently since she now wore a bright blue, skin-tight suit. Peach smiled and turned around, starting to walk to her door to join the others in a leisurely afternoon, when behind her she heard the rustling of wings again, but this time a large figure swooped by, casting a large but fleeting shadow in her room. When Peach turned back around, startled, she saw nothing or no one, however, so she attributed it to her tiredness. 'Must have been Yoshi, I wonder where he keeps those Blue Koopa Shells...', she mused as she walked over to her tall mirror. She looked over herself in it briefly and then walked outside when she was sure that her dress still looked picture perfect.

In the hallway, she met Bowser. Even though the Koopa leader was a ferocious enemy back in the Mushroom world, here he was civilized when talking to her, sometimes even bordering on friendly. He was the one that made sure none of the brawlers would fight outside of the tournament grounds – and usually his size and ferocious appearance were enough to discourage anyone.

"Master Hand sends for you, Peach. New brawler arrived, you need to show him around." His gruff voice was contradicted by the fact that he now held a large beach ball which he was carrying outside. Peach nodded, smile never leaving her face, and went up the other flight of stairs to the office of the two Hands, where the new brawler would be waiting.

"Peach, glad you could get here. This is Lucario, he's from PokéWorld. He'll be staying in the Pokémon wing together with Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Red." Peach eyed the dangerous looking Pokémon warily, as she wasn't used to any Pokémon being as tall as she was. The ominously glowing eyes didn't really contribute to that fact. But then his eyes returned to normal, he nodded once, and Peach immediately felt better at ease.

"I am princess Peach Toadstool, pleased to meet you!", she chimed as she curtseyed in front of the new guest. He bowed in return. "I'll first show you the wing where you'll be sleeping and then inform you on the other facilities such as the Brawl stages, the contests, the Stadium and the less tiring parts..."

Clouds rushed past. Birds dodged him, and each time he encountered one of the small feathered creatures he sent a silent word of thanks to Palutena, his goddess and his light. Pit Icarus loved her with the profound love of a child for its mother, combined with a deep respect for her might as a goddess and her wisdom as a leader. He praised her every day, even when in her presence, and in return she guided him. He chuckled softly as he remembered how Palutena's words had been chosen carefully when she sent him to the world below, and he smiled as he heard her say them again in his mind:

"Times are peaceful now, dear Pit, but one day Medusa might escape from her prison again and cause havoc in our beautiful Skyworld. To prepare for this, you must practice your skills and become even better than you are now. Master the sword, the bow and the wings that I give you, my fine young warrior, and return to me a better general..." His smile grew broader as he remembered the following words she'd spoken, softly and almost demurely, "...and return as a man, my boy, so you can take your rightful place as my general..." Technically, angels did not age, Pit knew – he looked like a boy since the dawning of his self-awareness – but his mind would accumulate the knowledge and the experience of ages and his body would grow to reflect that. Palutena had wished him to become wiser and more experienced inside of battle and outside, and he would follow her bidding.

The mansion came into sight now, and Pit swooped down, his wings tiring slowly. The glide he used now gave his wings a good chance to recuperate before landing. He circled the mansion once to catch a glimpse of its inhabitants. Pit had avidly accessed the libraries of Skyland to read up on the brawlers of the previous seasons, and he now knew most of them. The first one that came in sight was Mario, as if guided by fate. The plumber hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was playing a game of football with his brother, Luigi, and a very uninterested Wario, cousin to the two others. Underneath a tree sat Link, Hero of Time and denizen of Hyrule, and princess Zelda of Hyrule. Next to them, a woman clad in a light blue suit rose from her sitting place at the treetrunk opposite Zelda – Pit did not recognise the woman from any of the pictures he'd seen, but he knew the rumours that the legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran was a woman and labeled her as the woman inside the suit he'd seen and read about. Three smaller creatures bounded through the Mansion grounds – the yellow mouse was the electric Pikachu, and he guessed that the smaller pink creature was Kirby judging by the sight of it inhaling several food items, which meant the other pink fluffy creature was Jigglypuff the singing Pokémon. Chasing them was a large turtle with a spiked shell, bright orange hair and a gritty, rumbling voice as he shouted for the three faster creatures to stop running away: Pit knew this had to be the awe-inspiring villain of Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser. He still missed a few, but shrugged, figuring he'd see all his fellow brawlers during the upcoming tournaments. As he rapidly approached the ground, he flexed his wings and flapped, stabilizing himself as he slowly lowered his body to the ground. As soon as his feet touched solid earth, his wings shrunk back to the small white state they were usually in. He stepped through the large cast-iron gate and ended up inside the Mansion, where an arrow labeled 'new smashers' indicated he needed to take the steps upstairs to the first floor.

"Ah, you must be Pit Icarus, our new brawler from Skyworld!", came a rather deep and sonorous voice from the owner of the tournament, Master Hand – Pit didn't blink as he shook the extended thumb it held out, since he'd already read about the peculiar Twin Hands and how they controlled this world and, more specifically, the tournament. "Palutena made sure your filled out forms already reached us, so we'll just go through them briefly before I send someone to give you a tour of the Mansion, which will be your home for the coming Brawl season. So your name is Pit Icarus?"

"Yes, sir."

"Specialties are sword, bow, flying and speed?"

"Yes...", Pit supplied, smiling. Palutena had been very generous in her description.

"Lightweight, medium height... seems about right... What weapon will you be using?" Pit showed his bow, and Master Hand studied it for a few moments before nodding. "Palutena's bow, double function as twin blades and stringless bow which shoots arrows of positive energy called Arrows of Light." When Pit nodded, the hand scribbled something else onto the paper before turning back to the angel. "Final smash: calling forth the legions of Palutena's army to attack opponents, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"...Okay, that's all the information I need to officially enroll you as a brawler! Congratulations and welcome on our team, Pit. There's a few rules that I'd normally tell anyone else, but you're an angel and you probably will behave. Just so you know, the Stadium and the Brawl stages are the only place where there's fighting. Bowser is our resident bruiser boy, and we are very proud of him. ...Now, to give you the tour...", Master Hand said as a green dinosaur bounded up the stairs. "Yoshi will be your guide. Yoshi, make sure to show him everything, starting with his room. Your stuff has been sent ahead of you by one of your couriers, everything is in your room already. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you!", Pit said brightly, respectfully shaking Master Hand's thumb again before turning to Yoshi. "And thank you for being my guide, Yoshi – I am honoured to have one of the brawlers from the very first season to show me the Mansion." The dinosaur nodded wordlessly and motioned for the angel to follow, which Pit did without reserve. They mounted three more flights of stairs until they arrived at a floor where lots of doors were visible. Yoshi walked to the one on the far left and pushed it open.

"Yoshi!", he said brightly, and Pit knew he meant to say that this was his room. It was a beautiful cerulean blue and white, with a definitive Ancient style like he was used to seeing in Skyworld. Yet, to his amazement, he lacked no modern comfort. His room also seemed to be the only one on his floor with an open balcony: there were rails barring the other balconies to prevent the owners of those rooms to fall a hundred feet to the ground, but Pit guessed Master Hand thought it superfluous to give him safety railings when he'd probably find them more like a nuisance. Yoshi was still patiently waiting by the entrance of his room, the key in his hand. Pit exited again and Yoshi swiftly closed the door again, looping the chain from which the key hung around Pit's neck with a smart 'hop!' sound. The two then descended again, exploring the ground floor. Yoshi stopped in front of a large double door at the opposite end of the hall, right across the entrance, and punched his hands and feet in a display of battle moves, accompanied by some grunts. "Pam! Pam! Hrrm...", Yoshi said with an accompanying frown, and Pit concluded that those doors led to the Brawl Stages and the Stadium where the brawlers would fight each other and various enemies. A smaller and less imposing-looking door on the left of the entrance hall elicited a "Mlam!" sound from Yoshi as the dinosaur stuck out his tongue – Pit marvelled as it extended more than ten feet away from the mouth.

"The kitchen and mess hall?", he asked, and Yoshi nodded, dragging him onwards. A small door to the right of the doors to the Brawl stages were accompanied by a sound of hurt from Yoshi, whose "awawawawaw..." had a sad hint to it. Pit nodded, knowing that that would be the medical bay, where those in need of medical attention would be cared for by a team of doctors and healers. He pushed open the door slightly to get a better look inside. There was Doctor Mario, a retired brawler that had battled only once or twice in the original season, and there were a few nurses that all looked very beautiful. Pit blushed slightly as one of them waved to him with a giggle.

Now Yoshi got a bright smile, and Pit easily knew why when they went outside. "Pnam pnam pnam...", Yoshi said as he tentatively walked on the spot, telling Pit this was where the relaxation would be found. There were tennis courts, a large golf court and soccer field, as well as a small go-cart race track. But most alluring of all was the swimming pool which sparkled like an emerald in the lush green of the surrounding grass. Pit eyed the pool mischievously and looked at Yoshi, a smile pasted on his face.

"Hm?", the dinosaur said, but then was taken aback when Pit's wings grew larger again and he lifted off with one fell beat of his wings, flying up above the treetops before plummeting straight into the swimming pool. "Wie-ea!", Yoshi called after him as he took a small approach and ran to the swimming pool, splashing into it with a crash.

Peach giggled as she saw Yoshi bound into the swimming pool. That little dragon was too much sometimes, his energy level kept at a high at all times due to his seemingly endless supply of melons. She blinked as she saw someone else in the pool, however, swimming toward the edge. It looked like a boy in the last years of youth or the first dawning of adulthood, she noticed as he hoisted himself up from the pool. He wore a tunic with black shorts underneath – which she only noticed when he pulled the short tunic off his body to wring it out. Yoshi came out of the water as well, shaking himself not much unlike a dog would, and then noticed her. He drew the attention of the young man with him by shaking his hand, then pointing in her direction and voicing "waaw!".

"Yoshi, it's impolite to whistle at girls!", Pit said with a snicker as he turned around, looking into a beautiful face framed by blond hair. He immediately knew who she was and bowed. "Especially when the girl is a princess. Princess Toadstool, it is an honour to meet you." As she extended her hand for him to shake, he kissed it tenderly and Peach blushed.

"Well, aren't you charming!", she chirruped, and the boy in front of her grinned.

"Only in the company of someone as charming as you are. ...By the way, my name is Pit Icarus." Just when she wanted to ask him about his last name, he turned around to Yoshi and she noticed the two snow-white wings that had been hidden all that while. She stood awestruck, not even noticing how fascinated she'd been staring at the wings until Yoshi started waving his hand at her.

"O-oh... But the wings – you must be a..." Peach trailed off, it sounded ridiculous in her head, so how would it sound to him? Pit, however, laughed lightly and grinned.

"I come from Skyworld, the world where the lovely goddess Palutena reigns. I am her general. ...Yes, princess, I am an angel, and it doesn't sound that ridiculous...", he added. Yoshi jumped up and down a few times while Peach digested the information, and Pit nodded, accepting the wordless challenge the green dinosaur posed. "With your leave, princess, Yoshi and I are going to have a little race. Okay, Yoshi, the first one to reach those cookies gets to eat them!", the young angel shouted, and the two ran off, leaving the Princess to her thoughts.


	2. Chaos in the Mansion

How the world fares

Super Smash Bros. Brawl fanfiction by Shade-Duelist

**disclaimer: I own no one in this story save the OC's Stella and Player Shii. I do not own SSBB or any of the games that feature in it. I do own this story, so be wary of my wrath when using it in the wrong way. And I determine what is wrong.**

Chapter 2: Chaos in the Mansion

Over the days that followed Pit's arrival in the Mansion, several others also came and joined the brawlers. Two swordsmen, Ike and Marth; the Star Fox team Falco Lombardi and Fox McCloud – the latter was a veteran that had already participated in the previous two seasons – and their solo opponent, Wolf O'Donnell; a robot aptly named ROB; a tall and imposing Hyrulean called Ganondorf, who made the feathers on Pit's wings stand on end; a younger and cartoony version of Link; a mysterious figure that preferred to be called Meta Knight; and those were only a few of the ones that approached the Mansion. Not all were accepted, of course, since only the best could brawl. Still, when he looked at the timid Captain Olimar or slightly cowardly Lucas, a friend of veteran brawler Ness, he wasn't sure how they got in. 'Maybe they have hidden skills... never underestimate an opponent!', Pit thought as he walked back to his room from dinner.

On the other hand, he'd discovered several hidden sides to the brawlers. Bowser, who appeared as tough and evil as the stories made him out to be, turned out to be mainly misunderstood. He explained that it was his duty to be the evil one, since 'a big lumbering hero with horns and a spiked shield would be an outrage'. Sheik, the tougher side to princess Zelda of Hyrule, was another surprise: he'd read about the two, but thought they were two different persons. But the biggest surprise of all had been princess Peach, Pit mused as he walked on, ascending the next flight of stairs.

Princess Peach looked ever so much like the frail damsel-in-distress, but she was actually quite tough and definitely able to stand up for herself. Even Bowser admitted it – Pit hadn't been surprised to see the King of all Koopas' eyes light up whenever the princess was mentioned. She appeared to be well-versed in sports, managing to beat most of the brawlers on the tennis courts or slyly bypassing them on the soccer field to score a goal for her team, which mainly consisted of herself, Samus Aran (outside of her Power Suit), princess Zelda, Nana, Jigglypuff, and for some odd reason Mr. Game and Watch would always be on their side as well.

"Ah well... best head back up and get some rest, I need to be in top shape tomorrow!", Pit mused as he arrived on the third floor hall, taking his key from inside his tunic and opening his door. Inside, the dusky quiet of his room made him feel at ease. He swiftly closed the door behind him and went to his bed, where he sat down and, looking up, gave praise to Palutena as he was used to doing:

"Palutena, my goddess, you who shine in the heavens and light my heart, thanks be to you as you keep and cherish me. I pray, oh wisest of all, keep and cherish my friends in this Mansion as well, as they all have good souls. My goddess of light and good, until the hour that we stand together in the Skyworld again, all my devotion goes to you undivided."

"And as the sun shines on the lands from the sky, so shall Palutena shine on you, dear Pit. May your heart be unburdened and your soul untainted.", came Palutena's now distant answer. Pit felt the familiar feeling of relaxation wash over him as his eyes fluttered to a close.

Peach cooked up a meal in the kitchen for her, Yoshi and Kirby, since all the others had eaten their dinner early in order to get an early night. She, the pink Dreamlander and the green dinosaur were the only ones that had not battled that day. Yoshi and Peach had instead played a game of tennis to relax, while Kirby had relaxed along with them in the role of their tennis ball. The prize for the winner was that he and Kirby got a meal prepared for them by the losing one – which was the reason why Peach was now slaving away over a hot stove. 'I'll never play tennis with Yoshi again when he wagers something involving food...', Peach thought. She'd made a fruit salad and some melon cakes on the side – since neither Kirby nor Yoshi ate meat, she'd decided on fruit since she herself fancied a light meal as well.

When she at last came out of the kitchen, bearing the tray which was laden to the brim, she noticed Yoshi and Kirby patting the seat in between them, where they'd put a drawing they'd made together. It depicted a childishly drawn Kirby, a remarkably accurate picture of Yoshi (who was smiling) and between them a picture of herself. There were no words on it – neither Yoshi nor Kirby could speak English and they could not write either – but there were flowers around everyone's head, which Peach knew meant that they were friends.

"Oh, thank you!", she said cheerily as she gave everyone a bowl of fruit salad and a few melon cakes. The three dug in and ate in silence, occasionally interrupted by Yoshi's 'waaw!' of appreciation or Kirby's small sounds of approval as he patted his stomach in between bites. Finally, as the three were finished, they spent the remainder of the evening in the dining room looking at the drawings Yoshi and Kirby had made of themselves and the other brawlers. There was a childish rendition of Kirby and Meta Knight fighting, a realistic drawing of Samus without the Power Suit, a drawing of her and Mario playing Tennis and...

Between a drawing of Bowser flattening Wario and a sketch of King Dedede, Peach found a drawing of Yoshi and Pit playing in the sky – both the green dragon and the angels had wings, though Pit's seemed to be exaggerated slightly since they appeared larger than she'd seen them on that first day, stretching out high above his head. Both Yoshi and Pit had an expression of joy on their face.

"Yoshi, do you like Pit? Is he fun to play with?"

"Wie-ea!", Yoshi said, nodding before grabbing another stray melon cake from the other side of the table with his tongue. "Hop hop!", the little green dinosaur added, signifying that they flew around together.

"You're his friend now?"

"Wie-wie-ea!", Yoshi answered again, now grinning. "Hm?", he then voiced, pointing to Peach and then to the picture.

"Yes, he's my friend as well if you wish, Yoshi...", she said with a smile before having her two guests clean up the table so they could go to sleep. After all, tomorrow was one of the first big brawls and everyone was nervous...

Pit stumbled out of the arena, a sense of pride and belonging nestled deep in his heart. He'd participated in a thirty-stock brawl against Ness, the Pokémon trainer and Ike, and if it weren't for the Final Smash of the Pokémon trainer causing him to lose his last life, he would have won – but his second place in his first ever brawl was enough to boost his spirits enough so he didn't feel the dull thudding of blood in his wings. They'd taken a few hits, but never hard enough to disable his flight.

He'd also had a chance to study the others' fighting techniques up close. Ness' PSI powers were dangerous to say the least, and the Pokémon trainer's ability to switch Pokémon in this heated battle was also a big factor in the young man winning his first brawl, though Ike's skill with his sword had awed and stunned Pit. The man used his sword with such ease and such finesse at the same time, that Pit wondered where and how he'd learnt it all.

He wandered through the building, trying to remember Yoshi's explanation on the first day on where the other dormitory areas were located. Finally, he realised he was hopelessly lost and wound his way back downstairs, only to stop and listen when he heard an argument going on below.

"...It's all you've talked about for weeks before you came here, Mario... Now that you're enrolled, there's no turning back, surely you understand..." Peach sounded tired to him, and yet it was not evening yet.

"But I don't understand, a-princess Peach. ..." Pit strained to listen to the whispered conversation that followed, but could not understand anything they said until Peach burst out in sobs.

"M-mario, that is so... SO very heartless! I n-n-never thought yo-you 'd say that..."

"But-a-princess..." Mario, however, never got a chance to explain himself, as the princess ran outside. "Peach, a-wait!", Mario called after her, but she didn't hear him judging by the creaking of the gate and then the dull thud as it slammed shut. The plumber with the italian accent then turned to the stairs and noticed Pit standing on the landing, looking baffled and slightly shocked. "Do you understand-a women, Pit?", he asked. "All I did was ask-a her if she really thinks that a-Bowser is evil..." Pit suddenly understood and his shoulders slumped. Peach actually had a somewhat friendly interaction with the King of Koopas, unlike Mario who still carried around the rivalry.

"Maybe you just caught her at a bad time?", Pit tried. But Mario shrugged.

"I don't a-know, but I'm-a not waiting for her to get-a back... I'm tired..." The plumber climbed the stairs, leaving Pit behind. The young angel hesitated for a second, doubting between asking Mario where his room was and staying out of the two's quarrel and going outside to find Peach and ask what was going on. He finally opted for the latter, walking outside.

He didn't have to look for long to find Princess Peach: she sat on one of the now-deserted chairs near the tennis court, shivering with cold and tears held back. Pit walked over to her slowly, careful about his every move.

"I-is everything allright, princess?", Pit asked. Peach looked up and he saw tears staining her cheeks and brimming in the corners of her eyes. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to wipe them away. Instead, he sat down opposite her, awaiting her answer, which was finally voiced with a shaky tone.

"It's nothing, Pit... Don't trouble yourself..."

"Princess Toadstool... Peach...", the young angel started firmly, wishing to tell her that he would worry nonetheless, when he suddenly found that being addressed by her first name was enough to cause the tears to spill again, accompanied by loud sobs. He didn't think for a second and rose, embracing her in order to comfort her. "Shh... I didn't mean to..." The sobs quieted down and Peach looked up again. Pit boldened again and asked: "D-don't be upset by this, but was it Mario?"

"Y-yes...", Peach said, nodding. "Uh, you can l-let go now, Pit, I'm all cried out..." Pit blushed and obliged, not having been aware of the position they had been in. Her head had been rather firmly pressed against his chest, which now felt oddly warm.

"Would you feel better talking about it?", he asked, and Peach nodded.

"Y-yes... I just came back from the kitchen, after having cooked dinner for Kirby, Yoshi and myself, when I noticed Mario was brawling together with Sonic against Bowser. Sonic didn't go easy on Bowser, but Mario got in some cheap hits. Bowser was in pretty bad shape when the brawl ended – he only managed to win due to getting a Smash Ball, and there was nothing to it to beat both Mario and Sonic in a few seconds as Giga Bowser. I went to the medical wing to see if Bowser was allright – which he only was thanks to the Doctor and two nurses Joy. Mario found me walking back from my visit and asked me again why I'm on friendly terms with Bowser here. I told him that Bowser is not out to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom here – the rules state that the only enmity here is within the arena, but Mario... Well, you know... He told me he didn't understand, that Bowser is e-evil and that he'd ra-rather..." Peach shivered again, a few tears rolling down her cheek again, and meanwhile Pit guessed the remainder of her sentence.

"That is low, even for Mario..." The two sat in silence for a while, each contemplating their own thoughts. Pit leaned back and winced as his still-tender wings hit the cold iron back of the garden furniture – his wings bristled, making Peach look up.

"Your wings... Are they hurt?", she asked, noticing the look of pain on his face. Pit sighed.

"I overdid myself, took a few hits... My wings are a bit tender right now...", he said. Peach sat up a bit straighter after this, and he saw a vague smile on her features, even though it was a watery one.

"Oh! Could I..." She slowly rose from her chair and walked towards him, hand slightly outstretched. "May I feel?", she asked, and Pit nodded, deciding that he'd do whatever it took to make the Princess' smile a lasting one. As she gently lay a hand on his wing, soon joined by the other, he grinned lazily – he closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of her fingertip running along the line of one of the pens. Judging by her small giggle, the feel of feathers under her hands was somewhat odd.

The hands then withdrew, and Pit suddenly felt sad. He opened his eyes again to see Peach step back tentatively, her smile now broader and more secure.

"They don't look severely hurt or bruised. You should be okay after a night's rest... Anyway, thanks for listening to me. You're a great guy, Pit."

"I just wanted to make you feel better.", Pit admitted, rising from the chair. He suppressed a yawn and motioned for the mansion in front of them. "Perhaps we'd better both go to sleep. Will you be allright, Princess, or do you want me to accompany you to your room?", he asked as they started walking towards their temporary home. She smiled again while shaking her head.

"Oh, no, it'll be allright, Pit. And please, call me Peach... we're friends after all..."

"Peach... Goodnight then. I hope your dreams are more pleasant than your evening...", he added, and Peach sighed.

"I hope so, too. Mario will have to put serious effort in patching things up now!", she said with a tone of resolve, and Pit smiled again.

"If he truly loves you, no effort should be too much for him. ...Goodnight, Peach...", he said as they arrived at the gate. Peach nodded and returned his words before turning to the door. As she pulled it open, she turned to see where Pit was, and noticed he was nowhere to be found anymore. 'Maybe he can indeed fly with those small wings of his...', she thought with a soft smile as she entered.

Pit landed on his balcony and walked straight to his bed, where he took off the tunic before laying down. He closed his eyes and said his words of praise to Palutena.

"Palutena, light of the Heavens and benevolent Goddess, praise be to you who guards and guides me. Your light is a beacon in even the darkest of times, and your blessing strengthens me always. Today, I have battled for you, and each victory is dedicated to Your honour. I pray to you, let your love and wisdom guide me on the path to become a better servant to you. Also, I would ask of you, generous Palutena, keep and protect my friends... most of all princess Peach, who is in turmoil right now...", he added as an afterthought. Palutena's answer came, and it surprised Pit.

"As the light shines down on the fields to set them ablaze in glorious beauty, so I shine down on you, Pit. And as I keep you, and you keep the princess, so will I keep her through you. Protect and support her, for your love will strengthen you even more than I could ever hope to..."

"But my goddess, I don't-", he started, but then stopped. The face of the Mushroom Kingdom princess came to his mind again in vivid detail – her golden hair, her sapphire eyes, the beautiful smile on her face – and Pit realised that Palutena had indeed perceived his emotions correctly. "As you wish, my goddess...", he merely said before falling asleep.


	3. Understanding

How the world fares

Super Smash Bros. Brawl fanfiction by Shade-Duelist

**disclaimer: I own no one in this story save the OC's Stella and Player Shii. I do not own SSBB or any of the games that feature in it. I do own this story, so be wary of my wrath when using it in the wrong way. And I determine what is wrong.**

Chapter 3: Understanding

Days had passed uneventfully. Several brawls had come and gone, all with different victors, all celebrated with equal praise for the winners and good advice for the losing parties. At one such victory party, celebrating Bowser's ultimate victory over King DeDeDe, Ganondorf and Wario in what had been named the 'Battle of the Baddies', Pit found himself analysing the situation he was in.

It had been a week since Palutena's words of wisdom had revealed the truth regarding his feelings for princess Peach to him, and in that week he had noticed the relationship between Peach and Mario grow sour. Both the Princess and Mario refused to speak to the other and avoided one another. Peach had even turned down an offer to brawl alongside Yoshi and Mario against Bowser, causing a bit of grief to the green dinosaur as he thought Peach didn't want to brawl by his side. Pit remembered the day well. Yoshi had come to him almost crying, and Pit had patted the little dragon on his back reassuringly, explaining the situation. Now both Peach and Yoshi avoided Mario, along with Pit who had less trouble since he didn't know the plumber that well.

Pit looked at Princess Peach from his seat at the side of the table. She had on a pink T-shirt and some white sport shorts that fit her very well – her crown had been traded for a smaller and more durable version. Her exercise of that afternoon – she'd played a bit of tennis against Yoshi again, who had beaten her – gave her a rosy blush that suited her excellently. Pit found a lazy smile sneaking up on his features and gave in.

After a few minutes of generally being inattentive to his surroundings, he felt someone tap on his shoulder and found Yoshi standing there, beckoning for him to follow him outside of the dining room.

"You want to go and play some more, Yoshi? ...Okay then, but first you'll have to teach me how to play...", Pit said as he and the dinosaur walked into the main hall. Yoshi chuckled – an odd 'ahaha ooh' sound – and shook his head, motioning up. Curious as to what his friend meant, Pit followed him up to the fourth floor, above his own, to find the Mushroom dormitories there. He walked past a green, a red, a purple and a pink door – the pink one, he guessed to be Peach's room – and they ended up opposite a black-and-red door leading to Bowser's room. The door to Yoshi's room was painted white with green spots, and inside everything had lovely subdued pastel colours. Childish drawings adorned the walls, depicting scenes of Yoshi heroism. Pit marvelled at the simple beauty of the room for a while until Yoshi dragged him on to a small table where crayons and pieces of paper were. Pit chuckled as he looked over them: he'd seen Yoshi and Kirby sketching together often and had wondered how the drawings looked. Now he saw childish renditions of himself, Bowser, Dedede, and many of the others.

"Wie!", Yoshi voiced as he quickly rifled through the stack, pulling up three drawings. One of them was a drawing of the two of them flying, the style childish and yet remarkably accurate. Flowers were drawn around their heads, and Pit snickered.

"Flowers mean friends, right?", he asked, and Yoshi's nod brought a big smile to his face. "You're a great friend, too, Yoshi. Not many are as courageous and kind as you are..."

"Waaw...", the green dinosaur voiced his appreciation of the praise before showing the next image. It depicted a man in dark overalls and a girl with blond hair and a blue suit: Pit recognised Samus in her Zero Suit easily, but had some difficulty labeling the man until he noticed the badly drawn unshaven cheeks and realised Yoshi had drawn a very bad impression of Solid Snake, the mysterious man that had arrived about a day after he did. Around their heads were no flowers but hearts with happy faces, however, and he snickered as he immediately realised what that meant. He hadn't observed any affections between the two, but he had been preoccupied during that week.

"Samus and Snake, and they like each other, right?" Now Yoshi merely nodded vehemently. "I didn't even know, Yoshi – you must look through some keyholes in your spare time!"

"Hop!", Yoshi said, and Pit snickered when he realised that Yoshi had spied the two together while flying around. The little green dragon then took out the final drawing, and Pit's throat was suddenly dry. There he was, and beside him was a drawing of Peach in the same childish-yet-accurate style. Nothing was drawn around their heads, and Pit didn't realise what Yoshi meant until the green dinosaur held out a crayon for him. "Hm?", Yoshi asked, and Pit knew his friend was waiting for the answer of the unposed question. He put the pencil on the paper and sighed. 'Palutena...', he started mentally, but did not finish his thought as his hand seemed to move on its own accord, making the two adjoining curves he sought for. A perfectly drawn heart now stood between him and Peach. Yoshi blushed and then closed his eyes in his happy look.

"Wie-wie-wie-wie-ea!", he voiced, giving Pit the thumbs up before looking at Pit again as the angel sighed.

"Yeah, but now what? I like her... But what do I do now?", he asked Yoshi. To his surprise, Yoshi handed him a drawing neatly separated in four parts. It showed consecutive drawings according to their numbering. One was of two people outside, talking – represented by a musical note in the air between them. The next drawing was of two people going to a place he vaguely recognised as Mansion City, the small town only a mile away from the mansion itself where a small amusement park and some stores were. Then, the drawing showed a starry sky and two people sitting down on the grass. The fourth image was self-explanatory: one single big heart stood above the two people. "So I talk to her, ask her out?" When Yoshi nodded, he continued: "I take her out on a date, then when it's late have a beautiful evening with her under the stars, then... Then what?"

"Waaw...", Yoshi said, his tone slightly lower and with more awe, making Pit chuckle.

"Yoshi, I have higher standards than that you know! Besides, I am an angel, and I doubt it I'm allowed to even..." The angel then blushed and grew silent, causing Yoshi to start doing a happy dance. "No need to get happy yet, Yoshi..." He swallowed hard. "I didn't even ask her out yet..."

Peach enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in the sun together with Samus, who had traded in her full-body Zero Suit for a shorter version that doubled as a swimsuit, a feature of which she was now making use. The princess and the bounty hunter sat in the shallow part of the swimming pool, generally enjoying the cool of the water lapping around their waists.

"So, Peach, how was your week? You didn't brawl much, did you?", Samus asked, wiping her hair out of her eyes. Peach shook her head.

"I brawled along with Luigi against King Dedede and Ness. And I joined Yoshi and Pit in a sixty-six stock battle against Pokémon Trainer – that was my hardest battle yet!", Peach replied, sighing at the end. Samus heard and grinned.

"I happened to notice that you and Mario are not on speaking terms. Care to share?" Peach shrugged, smiling as she thought of the bounty huntress' inquisitive nature. 'Then again, if I was travelling the galaxy, I'd be curious as well...', she mused before answering. Samus listened attentively, nodding occasionally before shaking her head. "I'm not especially fond of Bowser myself, but you're right on one count: around here, he isn't the downright evil being that he is in the Mushroom Kingdom. You were right to tell Mario that he was cruel and heartless and you're right for ignoring 'Mister I don't even realise my girlfriend may be on to something'..." Samus then looked up and grinned. Peach followed her gaze and saw Yoshi glide down to the ground towards Pit. "Those two always fool around... Hmm..." Peach looked back toward her friend and noticed the sly grin on her features.

"What's the matter, Samus?", she asked innocently.

"Pit always looks_ so_ easily distracted and dreamy nowadays... especially after you two have been talking... Do I sense romance in the air here?", the bounty hunter said softly, and Peach rolled her eyes.

"First of all, that's rich coming from you, miss 'I don't ever need _romance'_, and secondly, it's even ironic considering you've managed to romance that mysterious Snake guy when neither of you likes that kind of thing in the first place." Peach then giggled. "No, you're probably mistaken. There's nothing going on between us."

"Yeah, right, as if I'm going to believe that." Samus' dry comment was nullified by her look of glee when Pit walked over to them. "That blush, princess, tells me another story... Oh, he likes you, and seems to me like the feeling's mutual...", she added in a whisper when the angel came close enough to hear them. Peach now blushed furiously and thought of walking away indignantly until she heard a splash and looked back to the pool to see Yoshi and Pit resurfacing, splashing each other good-naturedly. They ceased their games for a moment to greet the others.

"Wie-ea!", Yoshi said cheerfully, and then whistled at the two when he noticed they wore their bathing costumes. Pit merely nodded, blushing.

"Good afternoon, Peach, miss Aran...", he said. Samus grumbled and dunked the angel, who spluttered as he re-emerged from the water. She chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"'Miss Aran', what's that supposed to mean? My name's Samus, Pit! Just plain Samus!", the comment came in a mock indignant voice. She grinned and ruffled the angel's wet hair. "Calling me 'miss' makes me feel old, kid..."

"And calling a boy only five years younger than you 'kid' doesn't?", Peach commented, gaining her a playful punch from her friend.

"Peh! I'll go enjoy Yoshi's pranks, since all you two do is make me feel left out! Good-bye!", she said theatrically and waded to where Yoshi was playing on his own. Both Peach and Pit blushed, recognising the deliberate distance their respective best friends kept for what it was, and then slowly moved closer, leaning on the edge of the pool.

"Hey Pit, how have you been?", Peach asked. The two of them hadn't really talked that day yet, and they'd mostly spent their time brawling the previous day. Pit smiled.

"I've been well, and you?" They slipped into a comfortably airy conversation about their days, the brawls, and their thoughts on the battles and the other brawlers. Then, suddenly, Pit looked into the distance and blushed.

"What's the matter, Pit?", Peach asked, suddenly genuinely concerned. Pit turned to her and she found the water much cooler around her all of a sudden, even giving her goosebumps.

"P-peach, would you maybe like to...", the angel started, but then seemed to waver. She saw him swallow and then heard him finish his sentence, starting over from the beginning. "Would you maybe like to go out with me tonight?" Now it was Peach's turn to blush. Samus had been right, of course. She, too, had noticed the angel's sudden change in behaviour towards her. Whenever he looked at her, there was a rosy tinge to his cheeks that certainly wasn't caused by the sun or the spicy food Kirby loved to cook up. He also seemed to talk to her more often, and yet those conversations were almost always about such meaningless topics. She contemplated saying no, but found that her mind resisted the very thought of that.

"Oh, sure, Pit... I'd love to...", she said demurely after only a split second of uncomfortable silence. The angel's face turned from anxious to relieved and joyous in the blink of an eye.

"G-great! We'll leave in about two hours, is that okay?", he said, and Peach nodded, suddenly feeling at ease and even pleased at the prospect.

"I look forward to it.", she said solemnly, and truthfully. Pit excused himself and went back to Yoshi, and the two got out of the pool. Pit wrung out his tunic again – Samus wolf-whistled as the young angel stood with his upper body bare, causing him to blush furiously – and then took off, an excited conversation with the green dinosaur taking place from the moment the girls were out of earshot. Judging by Yoshi's look of glee, Peach suspected that he had given Pit the advice to ask her out, and she sighed.

"So you said yes, didn't you?" Samus' comment brought her out of her reverie and back to reality.

"What?", she asked, raising an eyebrow. Samus chuckled.

"You don't take me for a fool, do you, princess? I heard Pit loud and clear. He asked you out this evening and you said you'd love to."

"Yes, I did, and yes I will." Now it was Samus' turn to look at her in confusion.

"You will what?" Peach chuckled and suddenly got a sly grin, making her look very unlike a princess.

"I will love my evening out with Pit."

That evening, Peach and Pit sat outside of the Mansion on a hill, an endless star-spun sky above them and soft grass below them. The two had gone to the city. Pit had bought Peach a ticket for the amusement park, he'd treated her to dinner in one of the restaurants of the little town, and now they were enjoying the beauty of the evening some more.

"Pit, I've had such a wonderful time...", Peach sighed contentedly, and Pit smiled. "You're charming and kind..." Pit's smile broadened as she spoke before he finally answered her compliment.

"I'm only charming when in the presence of someone as beautiful and amazing as you, Peach... Seeing you smile makes my day complete." He noticed the princess shiver and moved closer to her, the feeling of their shoulders touching making both of them blush without the other noticing. "Peach, you're cold... would you like to return to your room?"

"Actually, I am cold but I..." She hesitated, and Pit saw her bite her bottom lip – a very uncharacteristic move. "I don't mind the cold when I'm sitting with you." She could even pretend to ignore the cold, but after a few minutes just leaning against him she was shivering again.

"Peach... You're freezing, I know. You shouldn't be out too long, I wouldn't want you to catch a cold.", Pit said, concerned.

"But...", Peach started, trying to convince the angel that she was fine. However, she suddenly felt arms encircling her waist and then felt the ground sink from beneath her feet – she almost panicked until she heard the beating of wings. After what seemed like an eternity to her, an eternity that had passed in the blink of an eye, she was put down onto her balcony on the fourth floor. She turned around quickly to see Pit fly toward her, his usually small white wings suddenly larger and bright blue with holy energy. He landed and his wings returned to normal, small white feathers scattering around them. "Pit, that was wonderful!", the princess sighed, embracing the angel.

"Peach, I...", he started, but she silenced him with only a look. Her eyes were soft, and even in the light of the moon and stars he could see the slight blush on her cheeks and the tempting softness of her lips so close to his.

"I know... me too...", she whispered before she lightly kissed him. It was a quick but tender kiss, but it was enough. When they let go, their eyes told the other exactly what was on their mind even if their blushes didn't prove it. "Pit... see you tomorrow morning...", princess Peach said softly as she slowly backed to her door, her eyes sparkling with joy. Pit nodded and bowed quickly before letting the princess head inside. They both knew that something beautiful had grown between them.


	4. The new guest

How the world fares

Super Smash Bros. Brawl fanfiction by Shade-Duelist

**disclaimer: I own no one in this story save the OC's Stella and Player Shii. I do not own SSBB or any of the games that feature in it. I do own this story, so be wary of my wrath when using it in the wrong way. And I determine what is wrong.**

Chapter 4: The new guest

A month had passed, during which Peach and Pit had gradually gotten more and more involved in their relationship. The two now spent each evening together, sometimes in the company of Yoshi, Samus, Snake (who turned out to be somewhat amiable once you knew him better) and Kirby. Most of the people residing in the Mansion knew of the blooming relation between the angel and the princess – not everyone agreed with it, however. Mario had been outraged at first, but he had quickly realised that Peach and he had grown apart over their argument and so he had settled for a wary neutral position. Bowser had been as outraged as Mario, but unlike the plumber he had not changed his position. This led to a fierce rivalry between Pit and Bowser in the arena, but neither seemed to be willing to actually harm the other too much and thus a truce had been called.

That afternoon, after a fierce free-for-all between Yoshi, Ganondorf, Pokémon Trainer and Falco Lombardi (which Yoshi won with ease), the dinosaur relaxed with Pit, Peach and Kirby by his side. As usual, Pit and Peach sat in a tight embrace – Yoshi pretended not to see the occasional kiss the two exchanged, but Kirby giggled every time. In celebration of his mate's victory, Kirby wore his Yoshi cap and the two enjoyed a bowl of fruits.

"Pnam pnam...", Yoshi said as he walked to one of the trees near where they were sitting, plopping down underneath it and falling asleep soon after, his soft snores joined after a while by Kirby's. This left the couple to their own devices and they walked back into the mansion, aimlessly wandering around in the cool of the house.

"Would you like a nap?", Pit suggested. Peach giggled and nodded, a slight blush spreading across her face. Pit raised an eyebrow but the princess tugged at his wrist, pulling him with her to the fourth floor, to her room. "Peach, what are you-", Pit started, but then he was inside her room and he was awed. She had a very luxurious room, with a walk-in wardrobe, a beautiful two-metre high mirror, and a balcony overlooking the gardens of the Mansion. And Pit had to admit that the room was not the bright explosion of pink he'd expected. Instead, it was a very subdued pastel pink and yellow, with subtle brighter pink accents which mainly consisted of hand-painted cherry blossom and peach blossom branches that swirled around windows and doors.

"Do you like it?", she asked, and Pit nodded.

"Peach, your room is great! But nothing can be more beautiful than you, who make this room even more radiant than it was before.", he added with a grin, earning him another soft kiss on his forehead from the princess.

"Now, the nap?", she suggested coyly, and Pit nodded with a deep blush adorning his cheeks. She noticed and pulled him along. "Don't worry, I won't eat you..."

"You know I meant just the nap, don't you, beautiful princess?", Pit admitted with a faint voice, and Peach snickered though she now blushed as well.

"Oh! Of course I knew... I mean, I know. I didn't mean- I didn't think about that.", she admitted after a short silence. The two now sat on the edge of the princess' king-size bed, which was big enough to fit four to five persons in it. "I never did think about that...", Peach added to reassure Pit, but it only served to confuse the young angel.

"Pardon me if this is rude or uncomfortable, but you and Mario... You didn't..." He let the implication carry itself and Peach shook her head.

"Oh, n-no! Mario and I had more of an... emotional bond..." It was followed by a sigh. "Let's not talk about that, though... Come, lay down by my side, and let's get that nap started." Pit obliged with a broad grin, rushing to lay down and cuddle with his beloved princess. Meanwhile, he mentally said another word of thanks to Palutena for his happiness. The two fell asleep after a while, the warmth of their embrace and the comfort of being together easing them into a quiet and deep slumber.

"Heya, wake up, little buddy..."

"Waah!" Yoshi jumped up, startled by the hand patting his big round nose, and then sighed in relief when he noticed it was just Samus. "Hm?", he asked. Like Pit and the ones from the Mushroom Kingdom, Samus had developed a wordless understanding with Yoshi and realised he asked what was the matter.

"Oh, it's time for dinner, that's all, and I was just wondering if you'd seen Peach."

"Pffrt...", Yoshi said with a shrug, showing he didn't know. "Hop hop!", he then voiced, and he took out a blue Koopa shell, his inquisitive eyes posing Samus the question whether she wanted him to scout out for her.

"Okay, you go see at her room, I'll check with Pit, okay?", she said. She dashed off at an amazing speed – sometimes the Chozo enhancements were everything but subtle. Yoshi laughed softly before swallowing the blue shell and feeling the wings sprout out of his back again. He didn't hesitate and jumped up, using the momentum to flap his wings a few times in order to get to the fourth floor, where Peach's room was. The green dinosaur landed on the balcony and looked into the room, seeing nothing. He pushed open the door into the princess' room and whispered out "Wie-ea..." Then, his ears picked up the even breathing coming from the bedroom and the green dragon walked tentatively toward it – he stopped in the doorway, seeing the princess and Pit lying in the kingsize bed, their arms still half around each other as they were both deep asleep. Yoshi sighed in endearment – a deep "ahh hmm" sound – and then backed away, gliding back down to the ground towards a waiting Samus.

"Pit wasn't in his room... were they, you know...", Samus asked, and Yoshi shook his head. He closed his eyes and made sleeping noises, and then said "waaw..." with a sort of endearment the bounty hunter could understand fully.

"Ah, let's let them sleep. Yoshi, my boy, I know a few bowls of fruit with your name on them, and there's bound to be a juicy tender steak that just screams to be eaten!"

After dinner, Yoshi, Kirby, Samus and Snake sat outside, watching the evening's calm. Samus and Snake sat with one arm loosely around the other – an act of intimacy they would only dare when in the presence of friends – while Yoshi and Kirby played some ways before them. The night was calm, and the sun had only just set which set the clouds ablaze in vibrant orange and pink hues. Kirby and Yoshi were idly discussing the shapes of the clouds when suddenly, the green dinosaur tensed. Only a split second later, Samus and Snake sat up as well, detached from one another, and Kirby looked up to the sky, following their gaze. Where moments before the sky had been darkening, stars appearing between the clouds, now the sky was rapidly growing lighter from a point in the skies. One of the stars grew brighter and brighter until it seemed to pulse with light – and then it suddenly grew dark again, leaving only an orange globe in the sky that quickly faded from view. The four were silent, until Samus and Snake spoke up almost simultaneously:

"A supernova!" The bountyhunter and the commando looked at each other with a grin. Samus then turned to Kirby and Yoshi to explain. "That's a star that has exploded... You know how the stars are like our sun but very very far away?" When both silent creatures nodded, she continued: "Well, when a sun is out of fuel to shine, it explodes with its last energy."

"Awawawawaw..." Yoshi voiced, and Kirby nodded, his eyes showing sadness. A sun dying seemed sad to Samus as well, though she knew it to be inevitable. Suddenly, something else drew her attention.

"Wait... What's that?"

Pit awoke next to princess Peach, her golden hair spread out on the pillow beside him and her hands resting loosely on his shoulder and his cheek. She smiled softly in her slumber, meaning she had good dreams, and he turned around very slowly and deliberately in order not to wake her up. In the silent darkness of the room – he knew evening had to have come, and yet he didn't mind – he prayed to Palutena, his words barely whispered.

"Palutena, my goddess of eternal benevolence, I pray to thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon me. You have truly gifted me, oh light of the heavens, with such kind friends and such a beautiful and kind-hearted woman to be by my side. Please watch over all within this Mansion, and grace them with your benevolence as you have graced me." He awaited her answer, but it didn't come immediately as always. When it did come, Palutena sounded different.

"Pit, my child, as the light from the stars shines down on the world below, so shall I shine eternally upon you and your friends. But I sense the shifting of balance in the worlds beside ours, an explosion of raw energy... Someone will come your way, but to bring you doom or dawn I do not know. Pray that my blessings endure even when times should turn dire, Pit, my blessed general, for the time draws nigh when you must choose the path to take..." Pit wanted to ask her what she meant, but found her non-responsive, which was odd by itself. 'Why would Palutena not answer me?', he wondered.

He wandered off, to the balcony, and looked down. The sight of Yoshi and Kirby sitting a little ways from the Mansion greeted his eyes, along with Samus and Snake who obviously enjoyed a moment of privacy together. The green dragon and the pink creature were playing around a bit, making the young angel smile. 'Palutena, I thank you for your grace and insight – I have made friends here that I shall never forget in my endless life!', he mused.

Suddenly, Yoshi tensed. Samus and Snake followed suit, and then all four were staring at the horizon, at a spot between two clouds. Pit followed their gaze and saw a star rapidly brightening and then slowly extinguishing. 'W-what's this?!', he thought, feeling the raw energy that radiated off the explosion. The raw energies spiralled from the extinguished star, as if it had been annihilated by pure brute force – and then he noticed one focused beam of raw energy shooting out in the direction of the mansion. A speck of light appeared at the horizon, rapidly growing larger. Pit felt the threat that came from it and ran inside, quickly dashing down. As he came to the first floor, he heard voices come from the office of the Twin Hands on the other side of the main hall. He quickly dashed in that direction and found the door opened slightly. Peering inside, he saw Yoshi, Samus, Snake and Kirby – but the feeling of raw energy and the slight sense of danger were there as well. Something had come from that explosion, that something was there in the office.

"I had no where else to turn to." A deep, feminine voice sounded from within the office, and Pit's hair stood on end. The voice was pleasant to his ears, almost too much so. "I have no place left to go, no one to help me. The destruction of my world... the brute force of the Magifacts..."

"Yes, but can you fight?", Master Hand's authoritarian voice resounded.

"Yes... I can demonstrate..." Suddenly, everyone in the room gasped. "See?"

"M-much like Kirby's talent, but perfected...", Master Hand said. "Regardless...", he started, regaining his calm, but he was unceremoniously interrupted by another voice much like his own, though this one sounded unbalanced.

"Brother, this girl needs our help! Now, I say she can stay here for the duration of the tournaments, fighter or not, and after the tournaments she is at liberty to go where she pleases! That is final!" Pit realised that voice had to belong to the other hand, Crazy Hand. The voice now softened. "Take these forms, fill them in at your own liberty and return them to me tomorrow. You'll get a room on the third floor, with a balcony for easy access. ...Yoshi, can you show her? You seem to be at ease around her..." When Yoshi apparently nodded, Crazy Hand added one last remark. "The tour can wait until tomorrow, Yoshi, when she's had a bit of rest and when she's restored from the shock of losing her home world..." Then the door opened and everyone filed out.

Pit gasped. Between Yoshi and Crazy Hand walked what could best be described as a cross-breed between a human and a raven. The young woman stood over a head taller than he did, and she was black as the night with bright orange eyes and hair. Over her head and behind her back, wings of the purest black extended. Shocked, Pit took a step back. The girl looked up and her eyes widened.

"This one! Who is he?" Her voice was commanding, and he was unsettled to find Yoshi turn to her. Even more unsettling, however, was when no words were exchanged for a few seconds, after which the girl nodded. "I see. I will not bother you, Pit. But perhaps tomorrow we should speak. A friend of Yoshi should become a friend of mine." She then walked dutifully behind the green dragon, disappearing up the stairs shortly. Pit turned to see the others gone. Alone in the hallway, he found the feeling of impending danger chilling him to the bone...


End file.
